Silence Speaks Stronger Than Words
by Dweller of the Sacred Grove
Summary: Eighteen, with no recollection of her past or direction of how to live in a normal world, takes guidance from our favorite love struck monk and completely turns her life around. What will become of the future? K/18 Takes place post-Cell to pre-Buu.
1. Shattered Soul

**Author's Notes**: My turn to take a shot at a get-together. This one will not be AU like my other story and will be true to the storyline and character description as possible. I appreciate all of the reviews I received for my other stories, I really do!

**Silence is Stronger Than Words**

_Chapter 1 – Shattered Soul_

Her heart was racing faster than any overexertion from a fight, including that of Cell. Blood felt as though it was rushing through ears and neck causing her to tremble and sweat uncontrollably. She had to get out of there right away before the other Earth's Warriors caught a glimpse of her current state.

It was all so overwhelming. The huge dragon, the people revived, _her_ getting revived. How did she even survive that? Did her brother do the same? Did they just not bother grabbing him and just her? Where was he?

She picked up flight speed and leveled herself out when she started approach high standing trees, quickly maneuvering between the branches and trunks. "Juunanagou, you better still be alive." Her heart sank felt as though it was going to fall into her stomach at the realization that she might actually be alone.

And what of Sixteen? Did he survive? Last time she could recall, he was badly beaten up from Cell. She even felt the guilt still from leaving his side to flee to avoid the absorption process. "Oh God, what if they are all dead?" She growled at herself.

Her eyes feeling warm and fatigued suddenly overwhelmed her causing her to freeze in midair. She tried to rub them with her palms to provide some temporary relief but the symptoms only worsened. She was crying. A feeling she was definitely not used to.

-/-

"So, you going to try to follow the babe? She can't be too far from here."

Krillin couldn't help but to get a little rosy around his cheeks. "I think I need to give her space. I mean, she seemed a little flustered on the lookout. A lot _has _happened today, you know?"

Yamcha just replied with a cheeky grin. "I have a feeling that she will come running back to you. I mean, you can tell she totally digs you. Did you see the way she _almost _thanked you? For being one of the bad guys a couple of weeks ago, she seems willing to try."

Krillin sighed. "I am not going to try to think about it too much. I almost drove myself crazy when I thought she was gone. But she is back now and everything happens for a reason, right? At least I hope..."

"Don't sweat it bro. Anyways-" He stopped in midair and Krillin immediately followed suit. "Let's not be strangers, okay?"

Krillin gave a stern nod. "Agreed."

"Alright bro." He let out a fist and pounded it with Krillin's. "Later! And good luck!"

"Heh, back at you, Yamcha!" He gave a casual salute back to his old friend. "Later!"

He took a deep breath before continuing on his current flight path to the Kame House. "I wonder where she will go now? I really hope she has changed..."

-/-

She couldn't fly anymore and to land in the woods below her. She picked out a random fern and leaned down into it, collapsing into her knees. She didn't even know the first place to look or even who to ask about her two only friends.

A gentle breeze blew through her golden locks forcing her to tuck the astray strands back behind her ear. "Where do I go now?" She asked herself. She felt truly lost. Without guidance, shelter, or food, she was unsure where this particular road would take her.

Thoughts ran through her mind at a hundred miles a second with one topic immediately jumping to another. Deep in contemplation, she went over her options. There was the option of robbing like she did with her clothing. Though, the Earth's special forces would immediately go after her. How could she even get money? She is supposed to not have any type of identification; hence her name.

Damn the doctor. Perhaps if he didn't interfere with her life, she wouldn't be in this situation that she is in now. She gritted her teeth together at the thought of just his name. The torture, the experimentation as a whole, those _filthy_ hands.

That mere thought seemed to strike a nerve. She swung around at the tree she sat up against and shattered it into thousands of pieces with a flick of her wrist. Shortly after, she powered up and flung an energy ball at another also discombobulating it. "Shit!" She yelled at herself. "What the Hell!"

"Eighteen?" came a shaken voice. "E-Eighteen? Are you okay?"

She shot a look at him that almost made him quiver. As though she was the predator and he was the prey. He swallowed hard before continuing.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked again, slowly approaching her. "I saw some disturbance from up above; I don't mean to intrude."

"Where are they?" she growled. "Where is my brother and Sixteen?" She helped close the gap as well by aggressively walking towards him.

"Calm down, Eighteen. We wished every one of Cell's victim's back to life. There is no need to worry. Your brother is out here som-"

"What about Sixteen?" she snapped.

"I-uhm...Sixteen sacrificed himself in order to try to save us from Cell." He let his head drop before continuing. "He's gone."

Her brows buried themselves deep into her eyes. "You just told me that your people wished all of Cell's victims back to life. So, where does he stand in this?" She took a knee to prevent from falling because of her shaking legs.

"No, he's not organic. There would be no way we could wish him back. You and your brother are flesh and blood, though. That is why Dende was able to heal you after Cell regurgitated you. I am sorry, but there was nothing we could do," he admitted.

Eighteen's face fell quickly as she pounded a fist into her palm. "Sixteen...this is my fault. I shouldn't have left him," she mumbled. Her eyes aligned themselves up with him. "You should have never brought me back." Slowly, Eighteen sat up and brushed some dirt off her jeans.

"Wait, where are you going?"

She cocked an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "I don't know, you tell me. I have no money, no place to stay, nothing. I need to find my brother." She turned her back to him. "I will see you around, Krillin."

As she was about to kick off the ground, a firm grasp caught her bicep. Krillin had never felt so brave in his life. He was sure that he was going to be beaten to a bloody pulp for his actions. "Please, don't go. I can help!"

"I don't need your help," she growled as she tried to pull away.

"Hear me out, Eighteen!"

She lowered her arm and slowly turned around. "What do you want...?"

He let go to rub the back of his head nervously. "Instead of staying out here while you look for your brother, why don't you stay at my place. We can get you a clean pair of clothes, food, and search for him tomorrow." 

She thought about it for a split second but soon buried her brows into her eyes once again. "I don't even know you, let alone live at your place. If I recall, my brother and I were trying to kill your best friend not too long ago and now you want me to trust you enough not to pull anything while I sleep. No thanks."

"You are more powerful than most and my friends and I put together. We wouldn't try anything! I promise!"

"That's what I thought about the old man. Look, little old man threatening me. What could he possibly do? Hit me with a cane? Ha! Haha!" She grabbed a hold of his gi and pulled his face right up to hers. "You know how the story ends. I turn into one of his slaves while my humanity is robbed from me. I don't underestimate situations anymore." She dropped him so he could recompose himself.

"Alright, well... sorry to hear that. At least a shower or new clothes. You were inside Cell and all..."

"Why would I go with you you? I can take care of myself!" She growled out of frustration. "I don't need to rely on anything or anyone including you."

"You just told me that you have nothing. Please, just give me a chance! I would put my life in danger for you." He quickly realized what he said and winced. "I mean, I will-I mean did for you today. W ell, you know..." He sighed and stared at the dirt below him. "If you want nothing to do with me, just tell me."

She even felt some guilt within her at his last statement so she took in a deep breath and thought about the situation. "If it will get you from whining and you leave me alone, then... fine." She closed her eyes for a second. "If my information is correct, you take residence at the Kame House with this Roshi fellow?" She asked while slowly opening them again. 

His head immediately shot up and a smile that could touch both of his ears swept across his face. "Yeah, it's this way," he informed while pointing the southern direction. "It's a bit of a distance. If we want to make it before dark, we better head out now."

She followed him as he kicked off the ground with her arms folded. "What? Are you afraid of the dark or something? No wonder why a simple kiss frightened you," she chuckled.

He bit his lip as they took off. "It's not like that. I am not afraid of the dark or anything. And you know what? That kiss just caught me off guard. You did just beat the daylights out of all my friends..."

"Please," she grumbled.

"No, really. How would you feel if all your friends were just beaten up and possibly killed?" He quickly realized what he said and was calling himself stupid in his head. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Just drop it."

"Just out of curiosity, why did you kiss me?"

"I said drop it! Let's just keep going. I am done with this conversation. And stop looking at me!" Krillin immediately turned his head toward the direction they were flying into.

"Geeze, sorry."

"..." All she could do was snort at the last comment. Though a serious veil covered her face thinking about it. It was something she was had been thinking about in the back of her head. The incident seemed to replay quite frequently.

She merely just shook her head and blew off the thought. She decided to go with 'out of pity' in her head, though, it didn't seem right. Or as well as she thought it would go. _"Why am I still thinking about that?"_

-/-

It was more dark than usual at the particular hour when they landed. Storm clouds gathered over the usually normal sunset. "Come on, let's get this over with so I can beat the storm."

"Sure. Now, just a little warning. Nobody knows what happened on the lookout, so they might be a little intimidated with you at first. Just play it cool for now, okay?"

"Not my problem they are weaklings and are afraid of me, is it?" 

"Well, no... but-"

"Then let's go."

Krillin entered first to try to cut out the surprise of a once killer Android possibly evading their home. The last time she was here, she was after Goku to kill him. "Master! Master are you home?" He realized that was a stupid question. For most of his life, he has seen his former master leave the house a very limited amount of time. This was no exception.

He popped his head in the screen door while Eighteen waited impatiently behind him. "Master?" 

"Boy! Did you hear that Cell was defeated! Wahoo!" He immediately jumped off the couch to meet Krillin at the door. "I think this deserves a bottle for the occasion!" He tried grabbing his former pupil's arm to bring home inside, but Krillin resisted. "Master, I need to ask you something."

"Well, speak up boy."

"I have a friend here and was wondering if we could get her some food and clothes real quick. She was one of Cell's victims and all."

Master Roshi tried to peak through the screen as soon as he heard the word 'her'. "Where is she? Is she beautiful?"

"Well, yes. Ow! That hurt!"

"Let's go!" Eighteen demanded from outside.

"Bring her in boy!"

"But-"

He opened the screen and froze in his place. Oolong was the first to choke up some words. "Holy shit! That's the android!" Even Roshi was taken back a few steps, quivering at his legs.

"Guys, calm down. She's fine." He shot a look back to her; she was merely standing against the door frame with her arms across her chest. He gazed back to his two, more than frightened room mates. "Guys, I just want to get her a change of clothes and some food real quick. She's not doing this against my will or to hurt us."

She snorted at his comment.

"Krillin, are you sure this is wise?" Growled Oolong. "If I recall correctly, she was just after Goku not too long ago. Hence why we were hiding him here."

"So, he was here? Hmm, Seventeen was right," she replied.

"See?" The two yelled in unison.

"Calm down, pig. I have no interest in wreaking havoc. That was just some childish game my brother was playing. I have no interest in following the programming that Gero implanted into me. He couldn't control us for a reason." Her attitude was cool and collected as she remained up against the door. "If you don't want me here, I am fine. I have other priorities to attend to, anyways."

"No, Eighteen! Hold up, you're fine. Right guys...?"

The two swallowed hard. Roshi was the first to speak. "Well, she is quite the hottie."

Eighteen shot a deadly look at him causing him to quiver further.

"So, it is settled," Krillin stated. "Come with me, Eighteen. I will show you were you can get showered and changed." The two ascended up the stairs, leaving everyone else in the room in utter shock.

"He's not going to sleep with her, is he?" Oolong asked.

"I have seen stranger around here," replied Roshi deep in thought, picking up his magazine. "Bulma managed to get Vegeta under her control. I'd never thought Trunks would be in the picture."

**Author's Notes:** Whelp, there you have it. The opening to what is going to be a very long, multi-chapter story. I am still working on the other story, but I am sort of unsure the direction I want to put it in. I have been contemplating between the various chapters I wrote for it. This one, however, is going to be quite easy to write since I know the exact direction I want to put it through.

Please review! I want to know how I did! :)


	2. The Fight is Over

**Author's Notes:** Viola! New chapter which didn't take very long to update. Ha, that is impressive for my life. Anyways, I want to thank all of the reviewers from last chapter including Gohanroxme and Hannah. Your words meant a lot to me and gave me the motivation to publish this next chapter. Like I stated with the last chapter, I am sticking to the storyline and character base as close as I can. I will try not to go out of character as best as I can. Though with Eighteen, she did change quite a bit from the Android saga as opposed the Buu saga. May not seem it, but you can tell by her actions towards her family that she did progress quite a bit. I am going to attempt to cover that in this story. Anyways, enjoy!

**Silence Speaks Stronger Than Words**

_Chapter 2- The Fight is Over_

Eighteen looked down at the soiled water at her feet. It was rinsing off of her in different shades of brown and grays. She was obviously a mess from the events that happened that day and was more than content taking a much needed shower. She may not have noticed it at first, but there were many soiled strands of hair, dirt (and whatever else she collected) behind her ears and neck. She had to fight through the different tangles and knots of her hair to be able to run the shampoo in it.

Speaking of shampoo, she was wondering when the last time the bottle had actually been used. The occupants at the Kame House seemed to all be hairless which explained the aged ring of soap around the top of the bottle. Regardless, it was something. Nonetheless, she made sure to use the rest up even though more than half of the bottle remained.

She didn't exactly know how long she spent in the shower. It had all felt more then good. Though, a thought had struck her mind. When exactly was the last time she took a shower? She was unsure of how long the creep had imprisoned her in the life support chamber. Heck, it could have been months for all she knew. Though, a sick feeling in her stomach overwhelmed her at the realization that he could still have his _touch _on her.

Grabbing the body rinse, she made sure she used the rest of that bottle as well. She used enough pressure to nearly rip off her skin with the soap all while trying not to vomit at the mere thought of it.

Finally, she gave in and turned off the water when there was barely any pressure behind it or warmth for that matter. She peeped her head out of the shower to ensure there was no wondering eyes or unexpected company in the room. When she realized the coast was clear, she grabbed the towel that she had perched on the toilet seat to wrap around herself and proceed to the mirror.

She took a long gaze at herself and sighed. Dark rings were more than evident around her blood shot eyes. It definitely was apparent that she had gone through a lot recently. It was almost hard to believe the turn of events that had unfolded between escaping the dark fate of the lab, encountering and testing her newly obtained strength on the Earth's Special Forces, getting swallowed and then regurgitated by a being that she thought only could exist in her nightmares, and now taking in some hospitality from what seemed like a love struck monk whose best friend she threatened to kill.

Eighteen took her fingers through her hair in attempt to brush it out. Doing so, she let out a long, unexpected yawn that seemed to sweep lethargy across her body. "I thought the doctor told me I couldn't get tired. What was all this about unlimited energy?" She asked herself letting out another yawn.

She shook it off and slipped into the clothes Krillin had given her. It wasn't much, just a slightly oversized black tank top that must have been worn by a previous female visitor, and a pair of worn out jeans. There was no doubt in her mind that she would burn the clothes that she had worn in the body of Cell. Honestly, she didn't even want to touch the soiled remains.

She let out a grunt as she picked up her towel and disgusting clothes. Her core and limbs ached considerably still, even after the regeneration of the green being's power. As she opened the door into the bedroom which was more than likely Krillin's, she decided to throw herself on the bed in attempt to relieve some of the aches in pains...perhaps just to rest her eyes for a second, as well.

-/-

"She's been in the shower for quite awhile. Sheesh, at this rate, we won't have any hot water for the next year!" Mumbled Oolong. "I don't even think Bulma was that bad and that's saying a lot!"

"Well, she probably needed it. She was, afterall, in the belly of Cell," replied Krillin as he took a sip of his coffee. "In a way, I don't blame her."

Roshi couldn't help but give a lecherous chuckle. Krillin could only sigh as he could only imagine what he was thinking about. "Master, it is not a good idea to mess with her. She is really, really strong. I would try to hold off on the inappropriate comments and, well you know."

"That would be like telling Goku not to eat. Impossible!" His two roommates laughed at the comment as Krillin sat there in utter silence.

His heart sank at the comment of his best friend. He just realized that they probably didn't know exactly of the events that unfolded this faithful day. "Guys, how much do you know of what happened today with Cell?"

"He's gone!"

"That Satan guy tried to take credit?"

"Someone should show him what true martial arts is! Even at my age, I could probably knock him senseless."

"Ha, doubt it."

"What are you saying?"

"Stop! Listen!" Krillin let out a long sigh and closed his eyes for a bit. He wasn't exactly sure of how to break the news to his longtime roommates. "Guys, I need to tell you something, and it isn't going to be easy."

They both just cocked an eyebrow from confusion. Roshi even put down his favorite magazine to give his former pupil his full attention. "Well, spit it out!" Cried Oolong.

Krillin licked his lips a bit and took a deep breath in before continuing. " Goku did something today in order to make the ultimate sacrifice to the people of Earth. He...he died today in order to protect everyone."

"So? Didn't you wish him back with the dragon balls? On T.V. They were reporting how everyone magically came back to life. I am sure Goku was-"

"He decided not to come back in order to protect everyone!" Everyone grew silent as there faces transformed into shock. "He said that with him here, the bad guys were more than likely to come after him, putting everyone else at risk. With him gone, we should experience a lot less encounters." He shook his head a bit. "I don't even know how Chi Chi took the news."

Silence struck the room. You could hear the slightest pin drop on the carpeted floors. At an awkward silence, no one knew what to say. Not even the loud-mouthed pig.

"Well, I am going to check on Eighteen to make sure she is all set for her departure in a little bit. I am sorry I had to bring that news upon you guys." He left the room with everyone in utter shock before going upstairs.

As he walked down the darkened hallways, he noticed that there was an unusual silence creeping down the halls. Strangely, he didn't hear any water running, no doors being opened, or even foot steps on the bare floor. "I wonder if she left already?" He asked himself before slowly opening the door to this room.

"Eighteen?" He called out in warning as he entered the room slowly, hoping not to invade her privacy. "Eighteen, are you okay?" He called out again before fully entering the room.

He found her laid out on the bed, completely passed out. Her head was resting on her arms as her dampened hair laid across her face. "Wow, she must be exhausted," Krillin whispered to himself.

Careful not to disturb the sleeping Android's slumber, he quietly opened the closet door in search of an extra pillow and blanket. Once found, he slowly lifted up her head and slipped the pillow underneath it and wrapped her up snug underneath the thick comforter. As carefully as he could, he attempted to brush away the strands of wet hair away from her face to behind her ear. She didn't even make the slightest movements from his actions as she laid there in a world of dreams.

He couldn't help but grin at the once destructive being's face being as gently and vulnerable as can be. He turned off the lights before tiptoeing out and closing the door behind him.

"Sleep well, Eighteen."

Author's Notes: I know, this chapter was a bit short. I wanted to end it at this point because it seemed like a good pausing point before the next chapter. The next chapter _should_ be out within the next couple of days, so bare with me!


	3. Nothing Left to Say

**Author's Notes:** _Third chapter, go! I am very motivated to write this story. There are a lot of events that could have happened within the seven years between the Cell and Buu saga so it gives me endless possibilities. Again, thank you for the reviews guys. Heck, I even looked at the story status and it shows how many hits I have. The number is impressive and makes me smile. Oh, and before I forget, it is spelled 'Hanna' not 'Hannah' as I mentioned in the previous chapter. Sorry about that! _

**Silence Speaks Stronger Than Words**

_Chapter 3 – Nothing Left to Say_

Krillin was thrilled to show off his cooking ability. Yes, he may have shown off to his roommates before, but now he had a special guest over. One that he didn't quite expect in a lifetime.

As he cracked egg after egg, he couldn't help but smile reminiscing over the events that happened over the past couple of weeks. He saw a pretty girl, not that this was his first girl that he encountered... He was _kissed _by this pretty girl. Alright, that was a little unexpected, he admitted to himself. Then he proceeded to save the pretty girl in hopes to win her heart over. Which he realized, of course, didn't make a difference at first for she didn't seem to want anything to do with him.

However, she was now sleeping in his bed. Very, very unanticipated. He thought to himself that even if this didn't work out, he was to never wash those sheets again regardless of how disgusting it may have seemed. Sleeping in his own bed. Who would have thought? He knew that destroying the controller would have benefited himself somehow, ha!

Though, later that day, he knew he had to admit to Bulma what occurred. How else would that Cell creature attain his perfect form? Magic? Nah, she was too smart to believe that. That, and she knew he had a weak heart when it came to females.

"I hope she likes omelets. I made enough to even please an entire Saiyan family for breakfast."

He had checked on her numerous times throughout the night. At first, it was just a friendly gesture to make sure she was sleeping alright, or, in reality, that she was still there. Which she was! Then he made excuse after excuse to peek in. First it was the lightning, then the earsplitting thunder, then when the air condition wouldn't kick in, and then because of Master Roshi's snoring. Hey, it could have woken her!

"I wonder if she likes coffee? Maybe orange juice. Hmm, she seems like she is the coffee type. Wait, am I making a stereotype since she is a little younger? Nah. Maybe milk? No, let's stick with coffee... wait, I don't want her to think I think she is old! Orange juice is a breakfast favorite! Yeah, I will go with that."

He went to the cupboard and found an alarming amount of different sized glasses and cups. "Would it offend her if I have her a big glass? What if she is mad that I gave her too little like I am insinuating that she should lose weight? I would never think that, but... argh!"

"What's for breakfast? You never do this."

Krillin quickly drew his attention at not two, but three of his roommates. Oolong, Master Roshi, and Turtle were all ready to devour in his hearty feast. "So, what's the occasion?"

"I think it's that girl."

"Marron is back?" Asked the Turtle, completely oblivious to the encounter taken the night before. "She's nice and all, but... I don't know Krillin. She kind of scares me." He crawled over and took a deep breath of the aroma that filled the air. "Smells wonderful."

"Just as long as you don't serve bacon this time. You know how bad that looked the one time I almost ate those hash browns? I would have been a cannibal, guys! That is so wrong on so many levels!" Oolong took but one second to grab three plates. "Extra of everything... BESIDES BACON."

As Master Roshi and Oolong grabbed the other two plates, they couldn't help but drool. "Forget the pig, give me everything, m'boy!"

"Me too, please."

Krillin sighed and pointed towards the dining room table. "It is almost done. Just give a few more minutes. I sort of want this to be a bit special, if you catch my drift. And no, Turtle. Marron is not back. This is someone different. She's sort of special to me."

Turtle could only respond with a hearty grin and obediently followed everyone towards the table, not asking a single question. Out of everyone in the household, everyone always knew he was the most polite out of the bunch. He even said, "I don't need anything if it is for your friend."

Roshi and Oolong also proceeded to the table with their stomachs rumbling. Krillin could have sworn he heard Oolong whisper to his master about something that went on last night. Though, nothing happened. Except, of course, a paranoid Krillin checking up on his guest every fifteen minutes... and there was a reason he convinced himself. Remember... the thunderstorm.

"Don't worry, Turtle. I made enough so we could all eat and be friends. Well, hopefully. I kind of want to introduce you guys in not such an awkward was as last night. She, well, sort of lost everything recently. I just want to her to feel that there are people there for her." He flipped over some pancakes and added some vegetables to the omelets he was preparing. "Vegetarian good for you, Oolong?"t

"I said no pig, not healthy!"

Krillin rolled his eyes, and continued with meal. It was such a strange feeling he was feeling at this particular moment. Although, he was used to cooking his roommates meals before, it was a different feeling he was experiencing. A feeling that could almost be described as euphoria, anxiety, and sheer bliss. Not even Marron did this for him.

"Please give me a chance, Eighteen," he thought quietly to himself. "I could give you the world."

-/-

Eighteen was in a different place than everyone else at that particular moment. The once snug covers were balled up on the edge of the bed with all of the other sheets that were once fitted on the mattress. Once clean and crisp, the sheets were now soiled and dampened with sweat as the young woman tossed and turned in her sleep.

Her breathing and heart rate was elevated as she battled with her imaginary enemies. Slight whimpers and groans were the only thing you could hear out of the young cyborg's mouth as she battled through the battlefield of dreams.

"Krillin, don't let him do this to me."

-/-

"Come on, guys. I need to save some for Eighteen!"

As if he never existed to hear a word he said, Oolong and Master Roshi continued on with the feast only to pause in between to mumble with a mouth full of food, "this is great!" "You should cook like this more often!" "This really hits the spot!"

Krillin could only sigh and grab one remaining omelet and some sausage for his unexpected roommate. He decided to wrap it and throw it in the fridge until she woke up from her longed slumber. "So, you guys hitting up Bulma's today? She is having a get-together in honor of Trunks's departure."

"Eh, never met the guy."

"She always hits me."

"Suit yourself. Well, if Eighteen is still sleeping, can you remind her that I made her some food and stored it on the bottom of the fridge?" He asked, while kicking the refrigerator door shut. "This food was sort of for her, you know."

"Wait, there's more you're holding out on us?" Oolong made it towards the fridge only to be blocked off by a very irritable Krillin.

"Come on, stop. She needs some food. You have no idea what she has been through, lately."

"Hrmph."

"Whatever. Well, I am going to get dressed, so this is the last opportunity you get if you want to go or not."

"I'll pass."

"Eh..."

"Whatever. Anyways, while I am gone, please be quiet so she can sleep. Whatever you do, please don't do anything to her. I already promised my life you guys would leave her alone."

The two looked at him with the most unconvincing innocent faces they could have pulled. Turtle, however, came crawled to Krillin to politely hand him the plate. "Thanks again Krillin. If you want, I will keep an eye out for them."

"Thanks Turtle," he replied while taking the plate.

He made his way up the stairs and stopped in front of his door once again. He gave a gentle knock and whispered, "Eighteen? Are you awake?" He didn't get a response so he quietly opened the door.

To his relief, she remained there all night it would have seemed. Though, the once snug covers laid in a ball on edge of his bed while she remained on her stomach, fists on each side, and her jaw clenched tightly. "Looks like she had a rough night," he thought to himself.

He reached down to grab some of the sheets in attempt to cover her again. This time, however, her eyes slowly opened. "Hey, you're awake." He took a step backwards in fear that she would be angry and decide to hit him. "How, er, how did you sleep?"

"What time is it?" she grumbled as she buried her face in her pillow.

"It's actually nine...AM." He swallowed hard. There was nothing in agreement that would stay here for the night. All she wanted to do was shower and go. "Please don't get mad. You must have fell asleep after your shower and you looked like you could really use it."

She sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "It's fine. I need to go."

"Well, before you go, I made you some breakfast. Afterwords, I can even help with the search if you want. I can't be out all day since Bulma invited all of us to see off Trunks. But, if you want."

As if completely ignoring the last sentences, she cocked an eyebrow and asked, "food? Where?"

-/-

"You sure you don't want to cook that up first?"

"I am fine." She took down hefty portions of her plate and almost swallowed it whole.

"So, do you want a little help before I go? I know the exact locations of where Cell was and it might be a good start to start searching at."

She swallowed thickly. "Sure, that's a good idea. Do you have anymore?"

"_Geeze, and here I thought Goku was distracted by food. Who would have known?"_

"Yeah, let me go heat it up." He threw the contents in the microwave and turned his back to lean up against the counter. "That offer is still there for you to stay here, you know. If you don't find your brother tonight, you can stay the night. I don't want you sleeping out side or anything."

"I told you, I am fine. It was a mistake that I stayed here last night," she said staring down at her empty plate. "If he found out about me staying here, he would have killed me. We don't belong with you and your friends."

He crossed his arms and gave a slight frown. "That isn't true you know. Anyone can get along with one another. It is those willing to try."

She shot him a glare. "Trying would be a waste of my time. It wouldn't give me any benefit at this point."

"Sure it can."

"How?" she snapped. "What could I possibly get out of any of this?"

"For one, Bulma is the the daughter of the man who founded Capsule Corps. With that, she access to the most innovative of inventions such as the dragon radar which can easily spot all the dragon balls. Master Roshi, as strange as he can be sometimes, has secrets to unlocking your full potential and has a sister that can see the future. Dende, as you learned, has the power to heal."

"Well, he did a horrible job," she interrupted. "I feel like crap today."

"Well, his powers can only go so far. Same with a sensu bean. We usually follow up with some therapeutic techniques. I have some analgesic balm if you want it."

"Fine."

"Here, it may be a little hot. If you want any more food, let me know. I am just going to grab that ointment for you."

She gave a nod and continued with her food. Her stomach had felt so empty and drained that every piece of food felt like heaven going down her esophagus. In a matter of seconds, she finished her next plate, making sure she even got the crumbs.

"Keep that up and you won't be able to keep that doll-ish little figure."

Her head snapped up to see Oolong chuckling to himself. "What the Hell did you say, pig?"

He snorted. "Don't worry about it."

She gritted her teeth together and tried to keep her mind elsewhere.

"Ready to go?" Krillin asked coming down the stairs and tossing the tube at her. She caught it effortlessly with one hand and nodded. "Yeah, let's get out of here before I kill that horrible excuse for a house dog."

"Hey!"

-/-

While flying, Eighteen applied the ointment religiously all over her arms. "God, this stuff smells and burns."

"You're only supposed to apply a small amount."

"How would I know?"

Krillin didn't want to say what he was thinking, but it unfortunately came out, anyways. With a frown, he said, "it says so on the bottle. You know, right there on the bottom." Even with the death-look Eighteen flashed him. "You can overdose yourself with that stuff."

"Ugh." She tossed the tube over her shoulder only for it to disappear into the endless ocean below them.

"That wasn't very nice."

"Can it."

There was a good fifteen minutes or so of awkward silence between them. Krillin decided to try to make conversation as they approached the main land. "So, the first place I want to check is the arena that Cell held his tournament."

"He held a tournament?"

"Yes. In order to test out his new power and drown everyone into fear, he held what was known as the Cell Games. This way, everything could be broadcasted across the air and people would be able to see the destruction before their very eyes."

"I see," she responded focusing her view back to the ground beneath her. "Here's a question that has been bothering me, how did I get out of that thing?"

Krillin nearly fell out of the air when she asked that question. He was hoping that it would have never been brought up. Rubbing his neck nervously, he tried to search for the appropriate words. "Well, you see... how do I put this? Gohan gutted Cell pretty good in his Super Saiyan 2 form which had enough force for him to... expel you?"

"Expel...?

"He kind of, sort of, threw you up."

"That...is disgusting." She made face of disgust and shook her head for a bit. "So then, why did you do it?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Do what?"

"Those things... according to your friends, you stayed with me after that. Then you tried to wish me back fully human and then the bombs." She stopped in mid-air and eyed Krillin up and down who was now beet red at the question. "I understand you like me...which is obviously no secret, but why? You don't even know me."

"Can we just get going now?"

"Answer the damn question, Krillin."

Krillin could feel his legs shaking out of control and beads of sweat rolling down his neck. "The truth is, well. Can we talk about this some other time? Please?" She merely crossed her arms and stared him down, waiting for him to finish. "That kiss on the highway sort of started it. I thought about it a lot and if it really meant anything. But it wasn't until I saw those pale, innocent eyes while you were with Sixteen hiding from Cell. You looked so frightened. It made me notice how human and fragile you were. Not saying that in a bad way, but... I don't know. I think it was the first time I saw the real you and fell for it."

"Interesting," she blankly replied. "Alright, let's go."

If he didn't know better, he could have sworn there was a blush of red across her cheeks as turned her body to start flying. He could still feel his whole body quivering from that conversation as they continued to their destination. "Real smooth, Krillin. Real smooth. I wonder what she thinks of me now?"

After about ten more minutes of flying, they reached the dusty wastelands. "There! Down over there is where it was held." They descended together and landed only take a hard gaze of what was before them. It brought back too many memories.

"It doesn't get any easier, does it?" Krillin asked as he started look around. Eighteen didn't even reply to the question as she stood there almost shell-shocked.

The craters were gigantic in size. You could easily tell which craters belonged to which attack. "This is almost overwhelming," she whispered to herself. "They are so big... it's almost unreal."

"I know."

The two walked almost zombie-like for the next two hours trying to find anything that would have shown the slightest existence of Seventeen. They looked everywhere from the burnt rocks, to the endless craters.

"Hey, Eighteen!" Krillin cried across the field. "I need to get going. Are you sure you will be alright here."

"I am not a child, just go!"

Krillin just rolled his eyes and flew off to Bulma's. "Wait until they hear this."

**Author's Notes:** _It may be a little slow right now, but I plan on having ups and downs, periods of absolute melancholy to areas of the show that are extremely dark. I hope you liked the third chapter! I am working on the forth as of right now, so look to see that coming out in the next couple of days._

_Thanks everyone!_


	4. Unbelievable

**Author's Notes:** Yeah, yeah… I know, I know. Last chapter I said this will be published in a couple of days and now look… Hey, deployment gets in the way, you know?

Anyways, before I left, I caught a bit of DBZ Kai. Did anyone else notice beginning intro? Eighteen was Vegeta but not with her initial activation clothing, but with the clothes she went on a raid with. So, I decided to add this into the story. Anyways, enjoy the story! I am always open to suggestions and ideas, so let me know.

**Silence Speaks Stronger Than Words**

Unbelievable

"Wait, what?"

Krillin eased his way down one of the many chairs located in Bulma's living room and taking in a deep breath of air before answering. "She stayed last night with absolutely no intentions of harming anyone. Well…" He rolled his eyes. "Almost no one."

Bulma leaned forward, intrigued with the conversation. "Master Roshi didn't try anything yet, has he?"

"No, not really. He knows exactly who her and her brother were, so I think he might have backed off a little… but, old dogs will have their ways, I get guess?"

Bulma leaned back into her chair and brought her mug of what looked to be eight hour old coffee to her lips. "I remember the time he grabbed my ass…" she responded between the slurps. "I mean, it's been almost forty-eight hours."

"You, however, cannot take out an entire city with a flick of your wrist."

"What are you saying!" She slammed down her mug. "Are you insinuating that I am weak!"

Krillin, once again, just rolled his eyes in response. "So, how is Vegeta and Trunks holding up? Are they getting along finally?"

"I actually haven't heard from Vegeta since the battle. I mean, he showed up for like five minutes, grunted around, and left. Trunks tried following him, but he just sort of blew him off. You know, him being his normal self. Actually if I am not mistaken… I think he went back to the site…" Both of them widened their eyes at the sudden realization.

"Eighteen is over there!"

"Shit!"

Eighteen kicked a couple of rocks to the side as she blankly stared at the disturbed earth. She let out an exaggerated sigh before finally sitting down. "This is going nowhere," she dully reminded herself. "Seventeen nor the others have left any evidence behind. "

Though, as she was sitting cross-legged, something that was a familiar shade of green caught her attention. Burnt at the edges, it was definitely a possession of her old friend. She remained seated and with a shaking hand picked up the piece of rubble. "Sixteen, is this you?" she whispered.

The perspiration of her palm left an illumines layer on the now very inanimate object. Without second thought, she tightly closed her eyes and held the object close to her. Streams poured out of her once very inhuman eyes. "It's not fair! No one deserves any of this!"

As the emotions poured upon her, so did an experiences which seemed to resemble déjà vu.

"_Hey sis, pass the ball!" cried the short, blacked haired child. "Come on, over here!" he giggled._

_The little girl tossed it so hard that she fell forward into the sand and into the sand. Both of them in sync busted out in laughter. "It's okay, you're just a girl. You can't throw hard anyways."_

"_Hey!"_

"_What, boys are always stronger than boys," the young child stated in a matter of fact. "Boys are the fighters."_

_The young girl sat up and crossed her arms over her chest with a pout. "No, that's not true. Girls can be strong too." She brushed some dirt off her pink dress before continuing. "I can learn how to fight and be strongest girl in the world!"_

_The youngster responded with sticking his tongue out. "You will have to beat me first! I will be the strongest in the whole world one day!" He went into a pseudo-fighting stance. "Come and try me sis."_

_She ran up and charged toward him only to be elbowed in the face. Though, it somehow felt real, very real._

Before Eighteen knew it, she was pushed away fifteen feet with a pool of blood dripping from her lip. Dazed, she tried to get her composure back by standing up on two shaking legs. "What the Hell is going on?" she mumbled to herself.

As the world began to reappear, a familiar figure stood in front of her with an all too familiar smirk smeared on his face. "How are you today, Android?"

She spit some the blood out of her mouth and wiped the remainder on her arm. "What do you want, Vegeta?" she growled.

"Off on a nice walk in the park, are we? Are those tears and blood coming from your face? I think you might be malfunctioning. If I hit you again, do you pose a threat of electrocuting me? Water and electricity don't work too well together."

Absent-mindly, she wiped her lip again with her arm. "Just leave me alone Vegeta. I have no desire to harm any of you. I just want to live my life alone."

He smirked again. "We need to finish the battle we started. I need to make this quick because it seems like baldy has a bit of a crush on you. I don't need any more interruptions…"

He hurled a ki blast at her head that she barely had time to dodge. The heat from the blast was so intense that she felt the warmth from it brush aggressively against her cheek. "Vegeta stop it!" she demanded.

He lunged towards her in which she immediately went into a defensive stance. She crossed her arms over her face as he slammed a fist into the direction of her forehead. Though, successfully blocking it, she could still feel the tiny bones in her wrist crack as she absorbed the blow.

She quickly dropped into a squatting position and sidestepped and attempted to throw a fist on the side of his face. It hit, but barely fazed the proud prince. As her knuckle impacted the side of his face, she felt her wrist becoming compressed once again. It had almost reminded her slamming her fist into a concrete sidewalk. "Shit!"

Vegeta took advantage of the opportunity and quickly elbowed her square in the chest. The impact caused her fall back a few feet. He casually looked over his shoulder to watch his opponent brush roughly against the dirt. "Heh, as you can see, I am much stronger than you remember me. What happened on the God-forsaken highway was merely a joke to what I am now."

Eighteen struggled to get back up on her feet, but Vegeta just tossed another ki blast in her direction, knocking her right back down. "I don't even need to go into my Super Saiyan transformation to overpower you."

She rolled over to her side and propped herself on an elbow. She bared her teeth before speaking, "what the hell are you trying to prove? I don't have an out of control proudness like you do, Vegeta. You are doing nothing but wasting your time."

He turned to face her directly. "I know this. But, I want you to learn your place in the world, Android. You were lucky before, but now you are nothing but a waste of valuable resource. Maybe I can find the dark haired boy again, or what is left of him, and make myself some upgrades to my gravity chamber."

As if almost in a blind rage, Eighteen used every bit of energy left in her and lunged at Vegeta at full strength. She threw back her fist and in what seemed like milliseconds, had a full fist in Vegeta's face with enough force behind it to knock him to the ground. "My brother was a good person. He just wanted to always play. He never means any harm!"

She kicked his knocked over body another couple of feet. "Him and I only fight what gets in our way. You decided to once again get in my way and I will do it again!" she screamed as she went to charge at him again. Without second thought, he powered into his first transformation and with both hands in front of him, he shot a fairly large wave of energy which quickly stopped Eighteen in her tracks.

"Father, stop it right now!"

Both Eighteen and Vegeta stopped in their tracks and stared up unexpected visitor. Eighteen saw immediately the mysterious purple haired boy from the future. Next to him, Krillin in his usual fighting gi. She never expected to feel a sigh of relief with seeing the two.

"What do you want boy?" Vegeta sneered as he powered down.

The two quickly fell upon the Earth and ran over to Eighteen, who was severely tattered up on the ground. Krillin was the first to lean over on her. He held her up by holding her back and leaning her up into a sitting position.

"You okay?" he almost whispered.

"I am fine," she replied in a distant tone.

Trunks saw Krillin assisting Eigheen so he ran over to Vegeta. "You need to stop this right now."

"Or what?" He growled.

Trunks merely rolled his eyes at his father's arrogant attitude. "Or you will cause a unnecessary uproar amongst the others, especially the civilians." He shot Eighteen a glare and back before continuing. "Let's get back before I set back forth towards the future."

As if no prior injury existed on Eighteen's pale body, she snapped up on her two feet in full attention with the last remark she so happened to overhear. "What exactly do you mean, set forth towards the future."

Krillin and Vegeta widened their eyes; completely oblivious to the fact that Eighteen still didn't know the whole truth. Trunks was the first to intervene the awkward silence.

"You are with Krillin, right?"

"Absolutely not," she snapped in response.

"Well, you are at least friends or whatever… here, come with us. I need to show you something."

**Author's Notes:** A bit rusty… but whatever. Please review and tell me what you think!


End file.
